Air treatment unit

Abstract

An air treatment unit for treatment of an air stream, including a pad having a multitude of narrow air-flow channels, the walls of which are formed by corrugated sheets of a stiff material, the sheets being positioned and fixed generally in parallel planes next to each other in such a way that, as seen from an inlet side of the pad to an outlet side thereof, the channels formed by the corrugations of any two sheets located next to each other extend in two different directions the vertical plane of the respective sheet. At least in a central region of the pad, all sheets are positioned obliquely sideways, whereby all channels extend obliquely sideways relative to inlet and outlet surfaces of the pad.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An air treatment unit for treatment of an air stream flowing in a substantially horizontal direction and being blown through the unit from an inlet side to an outlet side, said air stream interacting with water pouring downwardly through said unit comprising at least one pad having a substantially vertical inlet surface, an outlet surface and a plurality of narrow air-flow channels extending from said inlet surface to said outlet surface, the walls of said channels being formed by corrugated sheets of a stiff material, said sheets being positioned and fixed generally in mutually parallel, substantially vertical planes next to each other in such a way that the channels formed by the corrugations of any two adjacent sheets extend in two different directions from said inlet surface to said outlet surface, wherein: 
       at least in a central major region of the pad, said mutually parallel, substantially vertical planes of said corrugated sheets are oriented obliquely relative to a substantially horizontal direction being normal to said inlet surface, whereby said air-flow channels extend obliquely, not only in said two directions in said mutually parallel planes, but also obliquely sideways in a third direction, as seen in said substantially horizontal, normal direction, as a consequence of said oblique orientation of said mutually parallel planes.  
     
     
       2. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said mutually parallel planes are oriented obliquely sideways at a fixed angle (α) of 5°-60° relative to said normal direction. 
     
     
       3. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 2 , said pad serving to humidify and cool the air being blown therethrough, wherein said fixed angle (α) is 30°-60°. 
     
     
       4. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 2 , said pad serving to separate water drops from said air stream, wherein said fixed angle (α) is 5°-30°. 
     
     
       5. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 4 , wherein said fixed angle (α) is 10°-20°. 
     
     
       6. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 1 , said pad including at least two sections located one after the other in said air stream, wherein said mutually parallel planes are oriented obliquely sideways at different angles in said at least two sections. 
     
     
       7. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 6 , wherein said angles are opposite to each other so that the channels in neighbouring sections are oriented sideways in opposite directions. 
     
     
       8. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said pad has side edge portions with channels, which extend in planes aligned with said normal direction and which communicate with associated obliquely sideways oriented channels disposed in a central region of said pad located between said side edge portions. 
     
     
       9. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 8 , wherein the total pad, including said side edge portions, is configured as a parallelepipedic block. 
     
     
       10. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 9 , wherein said side edge portions are wedge-shaped. 
     
     
       11. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said air stream is blown along an axial main direction of the unit substantially in parallel to said normal direction. 
     
     
       12. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said air stream is blown along an axial main direction of the unit substantially at an oblique angle (β) to said direction being normal to the inlet surface of said at least one pad. 
     
     
       13. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 1 , wherein an air stream is blown along an axial main direction of the unit substantially at an oblique angle (β) of 20°-60° to said main direction. 
     
     
       14. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 13 , wherein said oblique angle (β) is 30°-60°. 
     
     
       15. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 13 , wherein said oblique angle (β) is 40°-50°. 
     
     
       16. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 13 , wherein said oblique angle (β) is substantially the angle (α) between said mutually parallel planes of said corrugated sheets and said direction being normal to said inlet surface, so that said mutually parallel planes, in which the air-flow channels of said at least one pad are located, are substantially parallel to the axial main direction of said air stream. 
     
     
       17. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 13 , wherein said pad is obliquely mounted between said opposite walls. 
     
     
       18. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 13 , wherein two pads are mounted next to each other in a V-shaped configuration between said opposite walls. 
     
     
       19. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 13 , wherein a series of pads are mounted next to each other in a zig-zag configuration between said opposite walls. 
     
     
       20. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 1 , wherein two said air stream, on said inlet side of the unit, is divided into at least two air inlet regions, each having a specific inlet flow direction. 
     
     
       21. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 1 , wherein at least four pads are mounted so as to form a box-shaped unit, said at least four pads forming side walls of said box-shaped unit and serving as inlet regions for said air stream, the latter being exhausted by means of a fan disposed at an end wall of said box-shaped unit. 
     
     
       22. The air treatment unit as defined in  claim 2 , said pad serving to humidify and cool the air being blown therethrough, wherein said fixed angle (α) is 40°-50°.